Tag Archives: internet arguing

Over at the Patch, former City Council President Jim Hennessy has posted an opinion piece on the boardwalk and the Democrats. Without going into the merits of Mr. Hennessy’s article, the food fight going on between the commentators and Mr. Hennessy is borderline hilarious.

As one of my mother said to me, “is there any issue in Long Beach that the residents don’t get fired up about?” And the post over on the Patch just highlights that point so well.

It’s a simple formula really. Take A – any issue in Long Beach, like the boardwalk. Then, add B – a public figure that people have strong feelings about. Finally, add C – a no holds barred anonymous discussion space where the author is willing to reply back to his commenters.

A+B+C= Long Beach hysteria at its finest

The last time I checked, we had a few different residents launching personal attacks at one another, and the former City Council President. There is the threat of a defamation suit mixed in. Then there’s the standard “they raised my taxes,” followed by the “no they didn’t raise my taxes, you did.” The arguments presented by some are riddled with math errors and logical fallacies. And the former Councilman is now using block caps and long strings of question marks.

Now, I’m not saying I agree one way or another with his article, or with the commenters reactions, which I’d characterize as about 75% opposed to Mr. Hennessy’s position. What I think is just plain entertainment is how this post has led to such a war between the internet residents of Long Beach and how I’ve seen any sort of conversation that involves a “political” issue like this, rapidly devolve into an ALL BLOCKS SCREAMING WAR!!!!!

So, if you’re bored, go take a read at his article, and jump into the conversation. Just remember to bring a helmet.